Tag Archives: The Doyle & Debbie Show

Jenny Littleton and Bruce Arntson portray the title characters in the Doyle & Debbie Show at the Station Inn in Nashville. Photo by JAE S. LEE / THE TENNESSEAN

If they get any more successful, Doyle and Debbie are going to have to find a new storyline.

“The Doyle & Debbie Show,” a musical parody about a washed-up country duo comprised of the well-removed-from-stardom Doyle (Bruce Arntson) and his young Dolly-Parton-wannabe-partner Debbie (Jenny Littleton) — has just been nominated for three of Chicago’s Jeff Awards: best midsize musical, and best actor and actress in a midsize musical.

The awards honor “outstanding theatre artists,” and this year a volunteer committee judged 118 productions from 55 different Equity theaters in and around Chicago before naming the finalists, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“The Doyle & Debbie Show” nomination comes after a successful road stint that began last fall at The Royal George Theatre in Chicago. And it was just announced that the show again will hit the road next spring — this time for a March 2 through June 30 running at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Garner Galleria Theatre.

It is a notable achievement for the Nashville original and local-running production, which features songs such as “Stock Car Love,” “Whine Whine Twang Twang” and “Barefoot and Pregnant.” It began as a small workshopping show at Nashville’s Bongo After Hours in 2006 and then expanded with a multi-year Tuesday-night residency at The Station Inn in 2008.

Last fall, the show went on the road performing to packed houses in Chicago and getting rave reviews. The Chicago Sun Times described it as “90 minutes of goofy perfection — clever, hilarious, wacky and brilliantly performed.” The Chicago Tribune reviewer wrote, “The last time I laughed anywhere close to this hard was at ‘The Book of Mormon.’ ”

The winners of this year’s Jeffs will be announced Oct. 15 at the Drury Lane Theatre just outside Chicago.

“The Doyle & Debbie Show” runs every Tuesday (at 7 p.m.) and Saturday (at 3 p.m.) at The Station Inn, and will continue through Oct. 2.